


The Facts of Life

by tonia_barone



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Contemplation, F/M, a day in the life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-31 01:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10888818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonia_barone/pseuds/tonia_barone
Summary: The facts of life of being the Flash





	The Facts of Life

Barry sometimes wondered if his friends realized just what life was like for him now.  Yeah, they knew he could run over Mach 13, and he could do some really neat tricks with his speed, but he didn’t think they considered how it was to live his life.  Even when he wasn’t slowing down time around himself, his brain worked as fast as he ran now.  He could do calculations in his mind seemingly instantaneously when in reality it’d take him several minutes of real time. 

There were times when the world seemed to go _so slow_.  It was mind-numbing sometimes, waiting for the world to catch up to him.  Before the speed, he was already a damned good CSI.  He’d always had an eye for detail, and formal education had just made him better.  Now that he could effectively stop time, he’d gained a reputation for being perfect.  There was no crime scene he couldn’t solve.  Barry had even heard rumors around the precinct that suggested he would be bumped up to senior CSI in the next few years. 

He went through sneakers at a ridiculous rate.  Thankfully, the cost was covered by STAR Labs before Thawne had left him the Wells estate.  Now he could afford his own, but he’d taken to going to different cities to get them so he wouldn’t raise suspicion.   He was lucky if a pair lasted him a week.  And that was nothing compared to what he spent in clothes.  The fact about his speed was that if he went too fast while in civvies, they burned up.  Considering how often he got caught unawares by whatever rival speedster he was dealing with currently, Barry had taken to getting a dozen copies of each article of clothing.  One entire room of his and Iris’ apartment was basically his closet, filled with his clothes and shoes.  And that wasn’t counting the wardrobe he kept at STAR Labs.  Iris had been so surprised when he’d told her before the apartment that he’d kept a storage unit just to hold it all.  Barry didn’t tell her that he still had a large storage unit filled to the brim with even more clothes and shoes.

Speaking of something else that STAR Labs and the Wells estate now cover: his food.  No one except Cisco and Caitlin knew just how much food Barry ate these days.  Cisco because he was the one who made the dense high calorie protein bars Barry supplemented his diet with, and Caitlin by dint of being his physician.  Even with Cisco’s Flash Bars, Barry was still spending every waking minute eating.  Aside from his new reputation as an excellent CSI, Barry has also gained a reputation as a human garbage disposal at the precinct.  He’s always got high calorie food in his lab that he’s nibbling on, and he’s begun accepting food from his coworkers if they find they can’t finish something—such as having to run out in the middle of lunch to answer a call.  Just those two things, and considering how skinny he remains, have his coworkers teasing him about having a black hole for a stomach.  As it is, Barry’s pretty certain that Captain Singh has figured out who he is just from his food intake alone.  After the Flash rescued his husband, Rob, from their burning building, David will bring Barry a large home cooked meal at least once a week, saying “Rob made extra and I told him how you eat, so he insists.”  Barry’s always hungry, so he accepts them with grace and heartfelt thanks. 

His love life was about the only part of his life that saw a mostly positive influence from his powers.  His relationships with Linda and Patty never quite reached the intimate stage, but if Iris is any indication, his tendency to vibrate when aroused is a great side effect of the lightning.  Even that is a double edged sword, however.  He was incredibly sensitive now, which meant that it was like puberty all over again.  He’s gotten the horrible, ill-timed erections under control after three years, mostly, but he still suffers from premature ejaculation half the time.  The only plus of his stamina means that his refractory period is very low; it’s not non-existent, but pretty close.  Still, it’s never polite to come before your partner, which is why he tries to make sure Iris is satisfied before he even tries to enter her.

So yes, overall life for Barry had changed after the lightning.  Even with all the new nuisances in his life, Barry wouldn’t trade the lightning for anything.  He just wished that sometimes his friends and family considered what it took to live his life.

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically my way of trying to explain some major plot holes in the tv show. Biggest of which is how after repeatedly stating that going too fast sets clothes on fire...it doesn't leave him wearing cinders after running after Thawne at the end of Season 1, or Zoom during Season 2, or Savitar in Season 3.
> 
> I keep thinking that I left out some things, but I spent a month trying to think of what else to add and came up empty. Believe it or not, I actually did a bit of research for the caloric intake Barry needs to have. Conservative estimates place his daily needs, not counting what he puts out when he fights, at around 50,000 calories a day, just to maintain a baseline. Add in any running aside from his using his speed casually throughout the day, and that doubles. This means that even with those bars Cisco makes--lets not get into how he must be making several dozen batches DAILY to keep up with Barry--Barry's constantly eating. He works with cops; I'm shocked it isn't the worst kept secret at the station. As it stands, canon has hinted that David Singh has figured out the truth, and I see Rob being grateful enough to want to help the Flash however he can. One day I'll write them, because they're my favorite canon pairing in the show.


End file.
